Opening my own store - Page 2

Fantastic. I sure have a soft spot for Dior. I think that's the tuxedo jacket w/ leather lapels (top row, second from the right) I bought at Barney's this summer at 70% off. I understand your staying safe at first. You can expand your suppliers once you get comfortable, which could take a short period of time. Good luck and I'd focus on your shop first, then the online store. Pete

jetlab, why did you ask our opinion if you already made your choice? i think it's a good Â idea to simply stock a little of everything and see what sells most. or perhaps you'll get requests for certain pieces and/or designers once you're open. good luck and remember to get a good stereo system.

If I were in his shoes and putting down a couple $100K, I think I'd need a tad bit of reassurance as well. Even if the plans have been made and acted upon, there's always space for small business-decisions (adjustments) here and there. The best of luck jetLab.

Go for classic, the original, American denim - Paper Denim, True Religion, Blue Cult, Rogan, Frankie B., would all be appropriate for the store, and skip the eurotrash (Energie, Gstar, D&G.)

no offense LA Guy, but that is the stupidest thing I haver ever read. I think the term eurotrash in it self is derogatory but I have to come accept it as there is certainly a lot of ppl here in europe who give meaning to the word but then again there is a great deal of Americantrash as well. PDC jeans may be high end but they are too square and boring like many (but not all of your American countrymen), if you find that innovative denim such as energie is too much for you then by all means buy "classic American" but don't label designs you just don't like as eurotrash.

no offense LA Guy, but that is the stupidest thing I haver ever read. I think the term eurotrash in it self is derogatory but I have to come accept it as there is certainly a lot of ppl here in europe who give meaning to the word but then again there is a great deal of Americantrash as well. PDC jeans may be high end but they are too square and boring like many (but not all of your American countrymen), if you find that innovative denim such as energie is too much for you then by all means buy "classic American" but don't label designs you just don't like as eurotrash.

None taken and I also didn't mean to paint all Europeans with the same brush. Certainly, there are certainly non-American jeanswear companies that are commendable - A.P.C (France), and SBU (Italy) and Helmut Lang (Austria) come immediately to mind. All of these are notable for their construction and fit, the most important elements in any jean. And the majority of high-market designers I like are also European. And certainly, there are a lot of American makers that I consider subpar as well (if you've been on the forum long enough, you might remember me slamming (LA based.) AG jeans, for much the same reasons as I will now continue to slam Energy and D&G. The styles are not particularly innovative - D&G jeans are just overpriced, strumpeted up versions of old Levis, and Energie takes a lot of its cues from Diesel (notice that I didn't slam Diesel either,) and copies a lot of street-inspired runway fashions in louder colors and inferior materials (Chloe, for example, in womenswear, and ironically, maybe, D&G in menswear.) D&G is deliberately kitschy, but I'm not sure that Energie even has the wherewithal to be. In general, Energie jeans feature washes which look painted on and obvious, and show a remarkable lack of restraint. The shirts feature some of the worst material and sewing I've ever seen. For me, Energie is sort of like an Italian version of Hugo, Hugo Boss - a second tier maker that owes a large debt to better designers - except louder and of poorer quality - perhaps illustrative of the stylistic differences between Germans and Italians. And I think that it would be a stretch to say that Rogan and True Religion are too "square and boring." I would bet pretty good money that Rogan styles, for one, will be soundly copied by any number of designers and manufacturers in the next couple of years. And if you want extreme cuts, try out Frankie B. BTW, I'm actually a transplanted Canadian, not an American.

aight then that just got you a free pass for the eurotrash remarks=) lived in Montreal for 4 years you can't find fitter women anywhere, except for maybe here in Sweden.... I see where you're going but I can forgive some degree of copying, it's a fact of life ppl are like sheep we all end mimicing each other so why should designers be any different

Â I think that Versace these days is just trashy, and will cheapen your whole store (Bernini, take note.) Â

I would agree that this may have been the case in the 80s but I thought (and indeed believe) that that Versace "trashiness" has recently been usurped by the likes of Cavalli, D&G , Gucci, Gaultier et al. After all what was the horror story in the latest menswear showings? Armani doing FLUORO 80s trash. In fact I would argue that Versace has become more conservative over the last 5 or so years, especially in the Couture and Classic V2 lines - out go the gaudy prints and in come more browns, beige and strong whites this season. Â Elton John must be disappointed. Personally, I find nothing is a trashy as Gucci has been for the last 3 yrs and Tom Ford often said he modelled his clothes on junkie male prostitutes. To JetBoy - your choices will be dictated by competition, financial contraints, and understanding the demographics of the area. Â In my experience a good mix is usually preferable - why alienate an entire demographic? Armani has become the new McDonalds in Australia - every 2nd store stocks them and all those label stand-alone stores catering to the Asian market, especially AIX and Emprio Armani. So I would go Armani OR Prada, not both (even though I detest both brands for their aesthetic tautology and boring appeal). Likewise, D&G OR Versace OR Cavalli. Not all three. Â Tailor your store to the market.

In fact I would argue that Versace has become more conservative over the last 5 or so years, especially in the Couture and Classic V2 lines - out go the gaudy prints and in come more browns, beige and strong whites this season. Elton John must be disappointed.

I admit that I've seen a few pieces I would consider wearable in the latest Versus. Nevertheless, I've find recent collections, despite some good individual pieces, rather fragmented and lacking direction. I was not a fan of Gianni's Versace, but at least it had a clear identity. I see Versace going down the same path as Perry Ellis, a slow descent into obscurity and irrelevance. (For accent pieces, I actually recommended Cavalli - more rock and roll than Versace's glam, but similar in many ways) I just don't see the point in carrying a brand that is (as I see it) on the downward slope.

In fact I would argue that Versace has become more conservative over the last 5 or so years, especially in the Couture and Classic V2 lines - out go the gaudy prints and in come more browns, beige and strong whites this season. Â Elton John must be disappointed.

I admit that I've seen a few pieces I would consider wearable in the latest Versus. Â Nevertheless, I've find recent collections, despite some good individual pieces, rather fragmented and lacking direction. Â I was not a fan of Gianni's Versace, but at least it had a clear identity. Â I see Versace going down the same path as Perry Ellis, a slow descent into obscurity and irrelevance. Â (For accent pieces, I actually recommended Cavalli - more rock and roll than Versace's glam, but similar in many ways) Â I just don't see the point in carrying a brand that is (as I see it) on the downward slope.

but what will come of versace when donatella's daughter soon turns 18 and inherits control of 50% of the company, to her mother's 20% and her father's 30%? and to jetlab, as a fellow canadian, i think your choices will be fine for toronto, LA guy made some very valuable points - versace didn't even last more than a few years on bloor street, t.o. is way too conservative why the US$ pricing on your website? and if all fails, try to get thomas pink to sell you their first ever franchise and open it up on bloor or bay streets and make a killing with the suit crowd

That is an interesting point hermes, but I think it is quite valid. If you could get Thomas Pink shirts in your boutique, you would be the first place to carry Pink outside of their stores. From my own experience the shirts are good with nice colors and fabrics. Definetely a good option to explore.

Just a question for you jetLab: My friend and I were talking (seriously) about doing this after college. The area we live in doesn't have a lot of fashion-impact as you might call it, and frankly 90% of the people buy their clothing at Kohl's or Wal*Mart. However, there are a few stores that sell fashionable brands (Diesel, Cavallli, Paper, Seven, etc) and a few that sell higher-end menswear (Canali, Zegna, Ted Baker, Burberry, Boss). Our store would target the 20-30 year-old male and would either be located in the 'east side' (area very near my college, very popular with yuppies and the artsy/hip people...many college students) or the North Shore area (also near my college, though extends a few miles north, home to the wealthy of the area and has many houses that sell for $4million+. While there is a lot of money in this area, most of the people are older and have families). Current locations for the existing high-end stores are in the east side (for the more hip stores) and downtown and North Shore for the traditional menswear stores. We would carry a blend of street wear and modern conservative styles. We would like to focus on the jeans/casual shirt apparel the most, but also include some suits/dress shirts/slacks. Our brands would include the likes of Kenneth Cole, Donna Karan Collection, D&G, Diesel, Seven, Paper, Buffalo, Lacoste, Ben Sherman, etc. We wouldn't be too high-end because there isn't a market for that. How much (if I may ask) do you pay for the wholesale stock of merchandise, and where do you find the suppliers. Would you be able to give examples of how much I could expect to pay for certain brands/items of clothing? Also, would it be better in your opinion to buy a store, or rent? It would be hard to get the capitol to buy a place, but it would be a good investment because we'd locate the shop in a very nice area with rising property values. Also, what is an estimate of what a small store (with inventory) would cost to set up? Thanks a lot. Eric